Mount Quincy Adams — a mountain peak in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska at about 3,859 m (12,661 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Juneau, about 189 km (118 mi) away (Mount Quincy Adams lies WNW of town).
Mount Quincy Adams (alternate Name Boundary Peak 163) is a mountain located on the border between United States and Canada. It is named after John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), the sixth president of the United States. The southern and eastern flanks of the mountain are in Glacier Bay National Park, in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska. The northern and northwestern flanks are in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, in Stikine Region, British Columbia, making it the second highest peak in British Columbia. Mount Quincy Adams is closely (~5km) flanked to the west by Mount Fairweather 4,671 m (15,325 ft).From the Wikipedia article “Mount Quincy Adams (Fairweather Range)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Quincy Adams the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 38° (NE) at the June solstice and 139° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 323° (NW) in June to 222° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:58 AM | 38° NE | 10:27 PM | 323° NW | 55° | 18h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 88° E | 7:11 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:03 AM | 139° SE | 3:15 PM | 222° SW | 8° | 6h 12m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:00 AM | 8:50 AM | 10:15 AM | 2:24 PM | 3:50 PM | 4:40 PM | 7h 00m |
| February | 7:03 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:46 AM | 4:04 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 20m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:19 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:12 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:24 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 28m |
| May | 3:41 AM | 4:40 AM | 5:44 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:34 PM | 10:33 PM | 16h 54m |
| June | 2:34 AM | 3:58 AM | 5:13 AM | 9:10 PM | 10:24 PM | 11:48 PM | 18h 26m |
| July | 3:14 AM | 4:24 AM | 5:33 AM | 9:00 PM | 10:09 PM | 11:18 PM | 17h 45m |
| August | 4:42 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:02 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 30m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:13 PM | 12h 52m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:45 AM | 5:08 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 17m |
| November | 7:16 AM | 8:02 AM | 9:17 AM | 2:34 PM | 3:48 PM | 4:35 PM | 7h 46m |
| December | 8:04 AM | 8:58 AM | 10:42 AM | 1:30 PM | 3:14 PM | 4:08 PM | 6h 16m |
Local time (America/Yakutat), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). August is the warmest month and March the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 43 | 41 | 44 | 47 | 54 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 60 | 51 | 46 | 42 |
| Low °F | -3 | 0 | -2 | 15 | 28 | 35 | 40 | 43 | 37 | 21 | 5 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 17.8 | 14.5 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 7.1 | 8.7 | 13.2 | 18.8 | 20.2 | 19.7 | 20.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Quincy Adams, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
GlacierFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Quincy Adams?
What time is golden hour at Mount Quincy Adams?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Quincy Adams?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Quincy Adams?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Quincy Adams?
How far is Mount Quincy Adams from Juneau?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.